War and Magic
by Alisa180
Summary: What if Chrom had found the amnesiac Kazumi in that field? As Kazumi becomes involved in events, the hidden world of magical girls is slowly revealed...With ominous implications for the looming conflict.
1. Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Puella Magi Madoka Magica or Fire Emblem: Awakening

* * *

A dream...?

_A young man with blue hair and dark-blue, regal clothing, and a white cape flowing behind him, charged forward, a sword in hand. She followed at a short distance, watching from under the hood of a cloak. The man clashed with what seemed like a sorcerer, with dark robes, dark skin, and narrowed red eyes. The sorcerer fought the man's sword with dark energy. She got behind the sorcerer and began charging a magical spell of her own in her hand._

_The sorcerer vanished. "Up there!" The man called. The sorcerer was near the ceiling of the room, charging a powerful spell. A large bolt of powerful dark energy struck the ground and she dove out of the way. As she did, and twisted around and launched her spell, a bolt of lightning. The sorcerer vanished before her spell hit._

_"You fool!" A new, dark voice, belonging to the sorcerer, hissed the words. He reappeared next to the man. He slammed the other into the nearby wall with magic, before blinking back a short distance away. As the young man started to get up, using his sword as a support, the sorcerer began forming a large ball of energy. In response, she began forming her own spell again. "Die!" The sorcerer hissed, launching the magic at her companion. Running forward, she cast the ball of lightning at the dark magic. The two collided, and the resulting explosion whited out her vision. When it cleared, the sorcerer stood across from her, scowling at her with those red eyes._

Was this a dream? A part of her was detached from the events, watching what happened. Another part of her, immersed in what was going on, played her role. A certain, distant knowledge came with this dream, if it was one. This battle was important, this sorcerer needed to be defeated, before something horrible happened. But the exact details escaped her.

_"This is it! Our last battle!" The young man next to her declared, "You're one of us, Kazumi, and no 'destiny' can change that. Now let's kill this dastard and be done with it!"_

Who was that? His name escaped her. He looked at her with determination, confidence, and reassurance. His eyes burned when they gazed at the sorcerer, but they always softened when they saw her. When she met his gaze, a warmth rose in her, a deep, familial, affection. He charged forward again, with her close behind.

_She stared down the mage herself now. All kind of emotions raged inside her, but one stood out. An intense desire to destroy the sorcerer before her._

_"Gya ha ha!" The mage let out a dark laugh, "Fools! You can not unwrite what had already been written!"_

_She didn't respond, instead, she reached up near one of her ears. The sorcerer's eyes widened as she flicked one of the earrings she wore. A ringing sound echoed. Power surged through her, incredible power. She changed, tapping into a strength she had been holding back. When the surge subsided, she was different. Her cloak was gone, replaced by another, different outfit. Instead of a tome, she now wielded a staff with a cross at the end. She began charging power, and aimed her staff at the dark mage._

_"Limit Esterni!" She yelled. A powerful beam of energy emitted from the staff, slamming him as he cried out in agony. He crumpled, dark energy sparking around him as he fell._

This was all so confusing, yet at the same time, it made complete sense. What was this? A dream? A vision? Something else?

_The young man, who had come up behind her, watched as the sorcerer collapsed to the ground. He smiled at her, glad for their victory. She smiled back as she returned to normal, the cloak re-appearing on her. She saw, out of the corner of her eye, dark magic stirring over the body of the fallen mage._

_"This isn't over!" The vile voice hissed, "Damn you both!"_

_A ball of powerful dark magic came flying straight for her companion. Without a second thought, she threw herself forward, placing a hand on her friend's chest and shoving him aside. The magic slammed into her, forceful and powerful. Her vision wavered, and her body shuddered as she fell, hitting the ground hard. Things came back into focus, and the young man ran to her. He fell to his knees beside her, looking panicked._

Chrom...That was his name! Chrom! She could place a name to his face!

_"Are you alright?" Chrom asked, helping her sit up, "That's the end of him." He smiled at her. She glimpsed sweat dripping down her face, the stress of battle and seeing her fall having taken a toll. "Thanks to you, we carried the day." Something within her pulsed. Her head began to hurt, and the world began to grow distant. Chrom's words were distorted, "We can rest easy now. At long last." The pulsing grew stronger, quicker. Lines of red began to crawl across her vision, and a chill swept through her._

_Chrom then seemed to notice something was wrong, "What's wrong?" Her hand formed something. She willed it to dissipate, to stop whatever it was doing, but it continued without her consent. His voice took on an edge of panic, "Hey, hang on-"_

_It happened so fast. Against her will, her body lurched forward. Chrom was cut off mid-sentence and his eyes widened. She glanced down. What she saw made her heart sink and churned her stomach. Her hand had formed a bolt of lightning. And she had shoved it into his gut. A mortal wound, meant to kill._

What!? Why!? Why had she...This wasn't just a dream. It was a nightmare. A horrible, twisted nightmare. Why was she seeing this? What did it all mean?

_Chrom stumbled back, grasping the place the bolt had gone through. His expression was pained, but he still spoke, "This is not your-your fault..." Her insides twisted as she watched him. She had done this. No matter what he said, she was the cause of this. "Promise me...you'll escape from this place...Please, go..." He stumbled, and he fell to the ground, her heart shattering. She had murdered her friend._

_Evil laughter echoed in the room as the vision before her faded..._

* * *

"Chrom, we have to do SOMETHING!"

Oh. Her head. Ow. She opened her eyes, wincing at the bright sunlight. Something, a dream perhaps, began to slip away from her memories. She didn't have the presence of mind to try to catch it.

"What do you purpose we do?" A male voice asked. It sounded familiar, for some reason. Her vision came into focus to see two people standing over her. One of them, a young man with short blue hair and noble-looking clothing, talked with the other, a girl wearing a large dress and a hat edged with buttons.

"I...I dunno..." The girl said, when they both glanced back down. Their faces lit up in realization as they saw the person on the ground had awakened. They leaned down to peer at her.

"I see you're awake now," The man said, an amused smile on his face.

"Hey there," The other girl said, her expression gentle.

"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground you know," the man said. He reached down with one hand, "Give me your hand."

The girl hesitated, before she up to take his hand. She gave a brief notice to a strange mark on the back of hers. As he pulled her to her feet, she became aware of long black hair cascading down her back. She wore a cloak of some kind, that fluttered as she stood. A tiny ringing alerted her of bell-like earrings.

"You alright?" The man asked. A name popped into her head, a name she matched to his face.

"Y-yeah..." she said, her voice shaky, "Thank you, Chrom."

"Ah, then you know who I am?"

She frowned, "Um, no," She scrunched up her face. The throbbing in her head receded, but her thoughts remained cluttered, "It just sort of...came to me..."

"Hmmm," Chrom said, brow furrowing, "How curious. Tell me, what is your name? What brings you here?"

"Oh!" She smiled, "My name is..." She paused. She searched her mind for her title. Nothing came. Where something more familiar to her than almost anything should be, there was nothing. "Wait...what is my name?" She grasped her head, searching her mind. But not just her name came up blank. She couldn't remember anything about herself.

"You don't know your own name?" Chrom asked.

"No, I don't I..." She looked around. She didn't recognize her surroundings at all! She didn't even know how she got here! "Wait, where am I? Why am I here?" She grasped her head again, straining her mind to retrieve something, anything! But no matter how she tried, nothing came. And her efforts were causing her headache to return. She groaned, "And why don't I remember anything at all?"

"I've heard of this," the other girl gasped, a hand flying to her mouth, "It's called amnesia!"

"Amnesia?" The lost girl let her hand fall to her side. She was an amnesiac? She guessed that was right. But how?

"It's called a load of pegasus dung," a nearby knight in heavy armor snorted, "We're to believe that you remember milord's name, but not your own?"

"I know it sounds strange," she said, "But it's true!" Her stomach growled, loud enough for all to hear. She looked down, feeling weak, and groaned, "Ah, I'm hungry...I wonder when the last time I ate was..." The hunger gnawed at her stomach. She shuffled around her cloak. Maybe she kept snacks on her, by some chance? She didn't find anything, and she sagged in disappointment.

"Here." A piece of jerky appeared in front of her. She looked up. Chrom held out the food, with a patient expression.

She reached for it, her mouth watering, "Can I really take this?" She asked.

"Of course," He replied.

She took the jerky, smiling, "Thank you!" She munched on it, the taste like a sip of water after dying of thirst. It wasn't enough to fill her, but it did take the edge off.

Chrom watched her as she ate. "We can't leave her here," he said, "Not like this, alone and confused. What sort of Shepherds would we be then?"

"Milord," the knight said, his stern gaze never wavering from the amnesiac as she finished her snack, "I must emphasize caution. 'Twould not do to let a wolf into our flock."

"I understand, but if her story is true, then she's clearly in need of our help," Chrom seemed to come to a decision, "We can take her back into town to sort this out."

Wait, what? "Take me back into town?" She echoed, cocking her head. Fog still clouded her mind, making thing hard to grasp, "Do you think...I'm a bad guy?"

"Not necessarily," he gave her a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, we'll hear everything you have to say back in town. There's also food and water there, and you look like you need both."

She hesitated, "I'm not sure..." Her stomach growled, "More food sounds good though. Lead the way."

* * *

"So," she began, as they walked down the path through the forest, "Who are you guys anyway?" Walking helped clear her head a little, and it occurred to her that she had no idea who these people were. She should at least know who her rescuers were!

"Ah," Chrom stopped, turning to face her, "I suppose we never got around to proper introductions." He smiled, "I'm Chrom, but you already knew that. The delicate one here," he gestured to the other girl, the one with the yellow dress, "Is my sister, Lissa."

The girl, Lissa, threw him a glare, "I am NOT delicate!" She yelled, outraged. The amnesiac giggled, despite herself. Lissa turned to the other girl, giving her a smile, "Ignore my brother, he can be a bit thick sometimes. But you're lucky the Shepherds found you. Brigands would have been a rude awakening!"

"Shepherds?" Didn't Chrom say something like that earlier? "So...you herd sheep...in full armor?" She didn't quite get it.

Chrom chuckled, and she had a feeling something had flown right over her head, "It's a dangerous job, just ask Frederick the Wary here."

The knight 'hmphed,' "A title I shall wear with pride," he focused his gaze on the amnesiac, his stern look never wavering. Could he even smile? "Gods forbid one of us keep an appropriate level of caution. I have every wish to trust you, stranger, but my station demands otherwise."

"Oh, it's alright," she said, smiling, "I'm pretty sure by now that I'm not a bad guy. You're just looking for more sufficient proof, right? I'll be able to provide it in town!"

Frederick's gaze intensified, "You say you have proof of your story? Can you not show it now?"

Something drifted to her, vague, not quite a memory, but still important. A part of her personality, re-emerging from the fog, "Not really. Not unless you have more food. But considering we're going into town, I don't think you do."

"I understand, you won't tell us anything until you've eaten. That's fair enough."

She shook her head, "No, that's not what I meant," She paused, reaching into her mind to grasp the concept, "It's fuzzy but...the reason I know I can't be a bad guy is because I finished that jerky earlier!"

"What?" Lissa stared at her, "What did that have to do with anything?"

She smiled at Lissa, "I can't quite remember but...somewhere, somehow, I heard, 'The person who doesn't clean their plate, doesn't live to see the end of the story!' So, those who waste food are bad guys! I didn't waste a single piece of that snack earlier, so I must be okay!" She considered this new information about her, "But maybe it's not the best example, since I was starving, and it wasn't very much. But when we get into town, and I'm able to eat, I'll clean my plate and prove my case!" She crossed her arms, smiling, feeling proud of herself. It all made perfect sense.

Lissa looked unsure how to respond. After a moment, she said, "You're...a bit weird...You must really like food, though."

The amnesiac turned to Lissa, smiling, "I guess I must! I don't really remember, but-!" It crashed into her mind like a tidal wave, clicking into place like a puzzle piece, "Kazumi!"

"Gesundheit?"

"That wasn't a sneeze, that's my name! Kazumi!" She breathed out as relief flooded her. Kazumi. It sounded right, perfect for her. As a name should, she supposed.

"And you just remembered it?" Frederick asked, na.

"Yeah, I don't know why though, hm..." So many questions, yet so few explanation. Her stomach gurgled, reminding her of the jerky earlier. If only there had been more of it. It hadn't been enough...She pulled herself from the train of thought.

"Kazumi? Is that foreign?" Chrom asked.

"Maybe?" Kazumi looked around, "That reminds me, um, I asked this earlier but...where am I? Where is this?"

"This is the halidom of Ylisse, perhaps you've heard of it?"

She racked her brain, but didn't find anything. She shook her head, "No, I think this is my first time hearing about it."

"You've never heard of the halidom?" Frederick gave a dark chuckle, "Ha! Someone pay this actress! She plays quite the fool!"

He was lucky she was too hungry to say anything in retort. Chrom, however, gave Frederick a stern look of his own, "Frederick, please." He turned back to Kazumi, "This land is the halidom of Ylisse. Our ruler is the exalt, Emmeryn. We're currently near a place called Southtown."

"I see..." She tried to take in all of this new information. Her stomach growled, even louder this time. It made her think of cooked meat and fresh vegetables. Of delicious soup with both those things and just the right amount of salt. She could almost taste it. She groaned, sagging, "I'm too hungry! I can't think!" Chrom said they were close to town. She planned to stuff herself as soon as they got there.

"Chrom! The town!"

They turned at Lissa's voice. Smoke rose from a large cluster of buildings up ahead. Smoke, that meant...

"Damn it!" Chrom cursed, "The town is ablaze! Those blasted brigands, no doubt...Frederick, Lissa, quickly!"

"What about her?" Frederick gestured to Kazumi, giving her a sharp look. She flinched under the gaze.

"Unless she's on fire too, it can wait!" Chrom snapped. His eyes flashed with anger, muscles tensed. She was glad she wasn't those brigands!

"Aptly put, milord," Frederick nodded in agreement.

"Let's go already!" Lissa said as she started to run ahead. The other two followed her down the path with similar speed..

"Hey wait!" Kazumi called, as she watched them leave. She watched their retreating backs. She could slip away now if she wanted to. Leave, and try to find answers on her own. But... Something in her told her not to abandon them. Parts of her mind were still hazy, but she wanted to help somehow!

She made up her mind, even though her reasons weren't clear to herself. She scrambled down the path Chrom and the others had gone down, calling, "Chrom! Wait! Wait for me!"

She ran towards the town, the scent of smoke beginning to irritate her nose as she got close. She patted herself down to see if she had any weapons. A sword hung at her side. She grasped the handle, and a bolt of familiarity struck her. She drew it a little out of it's sheath, a glint of the blade showing. A tendril of instinct welled up. She knew exactly how to use this. So, she was a swordswoman? She re-sheathed the sword and felt around for anything else. Her hand hit something heavy, and she pulled it out. A magic tome. A more intense sense of familiarity went through her. She somehow knew how to use this even better than her sword. She stuffed the tome back into her cloak and continued on the path.

She entered the town. She glimpsed fire, and smoke swirled through the air. Through it all, she spotted Chrom and the others. Chrom stood with his sword drawn. Next to him, Frederick wielded a lance, mounted on a well-armoured horse. Great knight, something told Kazumi, he was a great knight. The final member, Lissa, clutched a staff.

Up ahead, ferocious-looking men barged into homes and ripped apart market stalls. A cry for help coming from somewhere, and Kazumi shivered.

"Wait!" She called as she approached Chrom and his companions.

Chrom whirled around. His eyes widened when he saw her, "Kazumi? You followed us? Why?"

"I don't know," she admitted, "Not completely at least." She gave Chrom a determined look, "But I can fight! I can help if you'll let me!"

Chrom nodded, "Of course, strength in numbers. Just stay close!"

Kazumi followed the group as they charged into battle. Some of the brigands came to meet them. Chrom moved fast, cutting one of them down with his sword. Frederick impaled another with his spear. She thought about what to do, before she drew her tome. Chrom noticed,

"A...tome? You can use magic?"

"I think so," she said, examining the lightning symbol on it. A lot of it was instinct, no real memory to back up how she knew what she did, but ingrained in her nonetheless.

"You think so? Perhaps I'll keep a few paces behind you for the time being," he said, taking a few steps to the side.

"No, I can control it." She fingered the tome. Her mind began to inform her how she used this. A few more of the brigands came at them. Without further prompting, she allowed the magic to crackle at her fingertips, before she threw her hand forward to unleash it. A bolt of lightning struck one of the brigands, felling him. She exhaled. Success! She could fight, she could help!

More of the brigands were coming up to them, and the quartet got to work. Kazumi found she did, indeed, prefer her tome. However, one of the brigands got a little too close for her comfort. She drew the sword at her side without thinking about it when she saw the raised axe. She parried the weapon as it came down, and thrust the sword into his gut. He fell, and she withdrew back to the rest of the group.

Lissa stared at her, "You can use a sword, too?" She asked.

Kazumi took a moment to look at the sword, "Yeah, I can. I think I prefer my tome though." She didn't know why, but she liked magic. She sheathed the sword to draw her tome again. Lissa gasped,

"You're hurt!"

"Huh?" Kazumi looked at her arm. Through a large rip in the sleeve of her cloak, she saw a large gash. The brigand must have gotten her without her realizing it. It looked deep, but it didn't even hurt. Was that because of the adrenaline?

"Here," Lissa lifted her staff. A soft glow appeared, and Kazumi watched as her injury disappeared. Cleric, a part of her said, Lissa was a cleric. Kazumi smiled at the other girl,

"Thank you," Kazumi said.

Lissa returned the smile, "Just be careful, alright?"

Kazumi threw herself back into the battle. At one point, she helped a couple of villagers get into an inn, where others were hiding. As they went in, she happened to spot a few of the others inside. One was propped up against a wall, his expression pained, as his injury, a large wound in his side, was tended to by another villager. The sight made her freeze. She snapped back to reality when the door of the inn slammed shut, blocking her view. It lingered in her mind even as she returned to the main group.

Chrom and Lissa were nearby. Lissa healed Chrom with her staff as he fought. Kazumi glimpsed a bandit to her side. She whirled around, tome in hand, and zapped him with lightning. As she did, she remembered the injured villager. She gazed around the battlefield. For the first time, she grasped the situation. So many of the brigands, and four of them. She spotted Frederick as he ran a brigand through with his spear. She wanted to do something, anything, more!

The world around her slowed down. The battle grew distant. Something new, something strange, came over her. Things, knowledge, instincts, poured into her head. An alien prescense, almost, but it comforted her, told her not to be afraid. The battle came back into focus. But now, she saw it with a new level of understanding. She spoke with a shared possession in her words, not completely hers, but part of her nonetheless,

"Frederick, take the group to the north! Chrom, Lissa, come with me and we'll take the ones to the east!"

Frederick glowered at her, "Who are you to suddenly command us?" He demanded.

"It's..." Kazumi bit her lip. How was she to explain this odd focus? This...different way of thinking her mind had shifted into? "It's hard to explain, but I can see things. The flow of battle, the enemy's strength...And I know, somehow, what to do and how to do it."

"So you're a tactician then?" Chrom asked.

"I...guess?" That would make sense. Had she liked tactics and such in her past life? She gazed around. Her new focus allowed her to see the enemy's possible movements, let her know different ways to go about the battle. The exact reasoning escaped her, but something told her it would come to her if she pushed for it. "I must be, for me to be able to know all of this."

"Very well then," Chrom nodded, "We will follow your instructions! Frederick, you heard her, take the ones to the north! Lissa, come with us!"

The eastern group was larger than the northern group, which was part of the point. Simply from looking at him, Kazumi saw Frederick was the strongest of the quartet. He would be more than able to clear out the brigands to the north. The larger group would be handled by Kazumi and Chrom, while Lissa healed them when needed.

As they charged toward the bandits, a bit of information floated into Kazumi's mind. Fighting together...fighting in pairs! "Chrom!" She yelled, "I'm going to keep close! We're going to tag-team these guys!" He nodded, and she got to his side within a moment. She turned her head to address the girl behind them, "Keep a step behind and with that staff at the ready, Lissa!" Lissa nodded.

A few of the brigands came at them. Chrom drove through them with his sword. Any that didn't fall to his sword was finished by Kazumi's lightning. The pair fell into a rhythm. Not a perfect one. Kazumi nearly zapped Chrom on a couple of occasions, and he, in turn, sometimes forgot she was close behind, bumping into her. But for what they were up against, it worked well.

As the last of the brigands fell, a menacing voice came from behind them. "Here sheepy, sheepy..." it hissed.

Behind them...Lissa! Kazumi whirled around to find a brigand, this one dressed in more colorful clothing then the others. Their leader? It didn't matter. He was coming up on the unarmed cleric and they needed to do something!

Kazumi darted from her place next to Chrom, magic at the ready. Lightning slammed the brigand leader. He growled in pain and turned to face his new opponent. He cackled, "Here for the slaughter, little girl?"

"No," she said as readied another spell. The image of the injured villager flashed through her mind, "I'm here to make sure that you don't hurt anyone else!" The magic crackled, flowed from her as naturally as breathing. The brigand charged, and she felt a burst of power as she released the spell, "Take this!" The lightning erupted from her hands. The brigand screamed in pain, before he collapsed to the ground.

Kazumi watched him for a moment, before she exhaled in relief. It was over, at last.

"Finally..." she breathed.

The strange focus left her, and she felt like herself again. She didn't have time to think about it, as Frederick galloped over and Lissa came over to her side. She turned to face the other girl.

"Lucky for the town we were close by," Lissa commented, before she gave Kazumi an impressed look, "But holy wow, Kazumi! You were incredible! Swords, sorcery, AND tactics! Is there anything you can't do?"

Kazumi placed a hand behind her head and blushed at the praise, "I don't really know...this all sort of came to me as we were fighting..."

"You're certainly no helpless victim, that's for sure," Chrom said, nodding at her in approval.

"Indeed," Frederick said, dismounting from his horse, that same stern look of disapproval on his face, "Perhaps you might even be capable of an explanation for how you came here?"

"Um, no..." She rubbed at her head, "I still don't remember anything else. It's really weird...certain things have been coming to me, but not much else. I don't know why..."

"You fought to save Ylissean lives," Chrom intoned, "My heart says that's enough."

"And your mind, milord?" Frederick inquired, "Will you not heed its council as well?"

"Frederick," Chrom began, "The Shepherds could use someone with Kazumi's talents. We've brigands and unruly neighbors, all looking to bloody our soil. Would you really have us lose such an able tactician? Besides, I believe her story, odd as it might be."

"You..believe me?" Kazumi asked, almost not believing it.

He smiled at her, "You have given me no reason to doubt that you are truly anything more than what you say you are."

"Oh!" She clasped her hands in front of her. Her eyes sparkled in admiration and respect for the man, "Thank you!"

He chuckled, "So, how about it? Will you join us, Kazumi?"

Chrom was the one who had helped her up. He was the one who had given her food. He believed her story, despite the knight's skepticism. And now, he was offering her to accompany them. She wasn't too fond of Frederick, but she did like Chrom. And it wasn't like she had anywhere else to go. She nodded, "Yes, yes! It would be a great honor! Thank you!"

Her body gave out. Without the rush of battle to support it, it couldn't take any more. Her vision became dark as she felt a pair of strong arms catch her. Chrom's voice came from far away, "Kazumi!"

Her stomach growled as the world began to fade, "I still haven't eaten..." She said before she fell into a deep sleep.


	2. The Long Night

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening or anything related to Puella Magi

* * *

Something wonderful drifted into Kazumi's nostrils. She sniffed. It smelled like meat, cooked meat! She opened her eyes to find Lissa kneeling in front of her, waving a piece of meat under her nose.

Lissa blinked in surprise, "I didn't think that would actually work."

Kazumi sat up, her mouth watering at the food. "Can I?" She asked the other girl.

Lissa responded by plopping a large chunk in other girl's lap, "Here, eat up."

Kazumi didn't need to be told twice. Without another word, she ripped into the meat, not caring what it was, or how it tasted. It filled her stomach, and that was what mattered. It wasn't all that bad, either. She finished in a short time, before shutting her eyes, leaning back on her hands, sighing.

"Much better!" Her now-full stomach cleared the last of the cobwebs from her mind. Sated, she leaned back on her hands and relaxed. A crackling sound caught her ears, and she opened her eyes.

The setting had changed. No longer were they in town. Instead, they were now in a forest. A warm campfire blazed, the source of the crackling. Chrom, Frederick, and Lissa were all seated around it. Lissa stared at her,

"I didn't actually expect you to finish the whole thing!" She exclaimed.

"Well, I don't think I've eaten for a few days," Kazumi said, as she sat up, "And I've said before, I don't like wasting food." She took in her surrondings. She could hear crickets chirping, and other sounds of nightlife. The sky above was clear, and the night air cool, although her cloak kept her warm.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Chrom said, smiling at her, "We were worried."

"What happened while I was out?" She asked, "Where are we?"

"Well, we were going to stay in town, but Frederick here," Lissa jabbed a thumb at the knight, "Decided that we needed to get moving. He wouldn't take that it was getting dark and that you had just passed out from hunger as an excuse."

Frederick gave Lissa a smile, one that made Kazumi shiver, though she didn't know why "Ah, Lissa, are you not enjoying yourself out here? Camping under the stars, eating from a campfire...you did say that you would be getting used to this."

"Frederick," Lissa glared at him, "I've said it once, and I'll say it again, sometimes I hate you."

That explained it. The smile had been the one a stern instructor would give a pupil. "That's, er, quite the stern friend you have there," Kazumi said.

"'Stern' is one name for it," Lissa grumbled, "I can think of a few others!"

Chrom chuckled, "Frederick only smiles when he's about to bring down the axe."

Frederick coughed, "You do realize that I am right here?"

"Oh, we realize."

Frederick shook his head, "Milord remains as amusing as ever."

Kazumi giggled, when a question popped into her head, "So, how did you guys get me out here? And where are we going anyway?"

"We carried you on Frederick's horse," Lissa pointed to the steed, tied up and grazing nearby, "Since you wouldn't wake up no matter what we tried."

"We are heading for Ylisstol," Chrom said.

"Ylisstol?" Kazumi asked. Another unfamiliar word.

"Ylisse's capital," He explained, "We need to meet with Emmeryn. Those brigand attacks are becoming more and more frequent. What's more, those brigands were Plegian."

"Plegian?"

"Plegia is Ylisse's western neighbor. They send bands into our territory regularly, hoping to instigate a war."

"And it's the poor townsfolk who suffer!" Lissa scowled, "Totally innocent and totally helpless!"

"They do have us, milady," Frederick said, "Shepherds to protect the sheep," he cast her a stern expression, "Do not be swept up in your anger. It will cloud your judgment."

Lissa smiled at the knight, "I know, I know, don't worry."

"So, Plegia sends guys like those brigands we fought to attack the towns?" Kazumi asked, taking in the information.

"That about sums it up," Chrom said.

"I see." She wanted to ask why, but she was sure it was complicated. Politics tended to be. She would ask more about it later. Right now, she just wanted to relax.

She spotted a chunk of meat in Lissa's lap. Kazumi leaned over, "Are you going to eat that?"

Lissa shook her head, scrunching up her face and sticking out her tongue, "No thanks. I'd rather wait until we can get some real food."

Kazumi frowned. 'The person who doesn't clean their plate doesn't live to see the end of the story.' One of the few things she could remember. "That is food," she said, "And you shouldn't waste it."

"You want it?" Lissa stuck out the meat, "Here, I'm not hungry."

Well, Kazumi did still have room. Lissa seemed like a nice person, and she just didn't like what was being served. "Okay," Kazumi conceded, "I guess there's an exception for food you really don't like. I'll just take this..." She took the meat and began to eat it, at a slower pace than she had torn through her earlier portion. "What is this anyway?" She asked between bites.

"Bear meat," Chrom said, "Been a while since we've had it."

"It's not bad at all." As she ate, she saw Frederick hadn't eaten his share either. She frowned, "Why aren't you eating your food? Do not like bear either?"

Frederick coughed, "I, er, had a big lunch. Not to worry, however. Anything that we don't finish we can dry out and store for later. None of this will go to waste, I assure you!"

Kazumi smiled, "Okay! I'm glad you're thinking about that!" She continued eating. It would have been hypocritical for the knight to call her a bad guy, then go and waste food. She did note that Chrom finished every last bite of his meal.

Once 'supper' ended, the group curled up on the ground to sleep. Kazumi laid on her back, gazing up at the stars. So, this was the start of her new life. How exciting! She looked forward to see what kind of person she was, what kind of things awaited her. She didn't know why she had lost her memories, or if she would ever regain them. But in any case, she had done well for herself so far. She already made friends, friends willing to help her. That wasn't a bad start at all!

She yawned, her eyelids growing heavy. She wrapped herself in her cloak and curled up on her side. The sounds of the forest soothed her and soon, she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Kazumi floated somewhere. Drifting through a dark landscape. She cracked her eyes open. Where was she? Through the darkness, she spotted a figure. She tried to open her eyes further, but they wouldn't budge. She tried to move, but her body wouldn't respond.

"Who...are you...?" The figure turned at Kazumi's voice. The person had long hair, and a slender figure. Another girl? Kazumi couldn't focus her vision enough to make out any other details. The mysterious girl didn't move. A voice, light, and feminine, echoed, but she couldn't make out the words. "What are you...trying to say? Is it your name? Is it important?"

She tried again to move, but her muscles remained still. The other girl came towards her, and cupped Kazumi's cheek, her touch gentle. She leaned forward, and whispered something in Kazumi's ear.

A loud rumbling overrode all else in the dream.

* * *

Kazumi bolted awake, sitting up. The rumbling hadn't been her dream, it had been reality. The ground under her shifted, and the whole world shook. An earthquake! Frederick stood to his feet, his brow furrowed.

"Frederick?" She asked, "What's going on?" She glanced around the campsite. Two people were missing, "And where's Chrom and Lissa?"

"I do not know the answer to either of those questions," Frederick said, his voice worried.

She heard a loud crash. Kazumi got to her feet, casting her eyes above. Where those...meteors!? Whatever the fireballs streaking through the sky were, they were setting the forest ablaze. Smoke clogged the air.

"Quickly!" Frederick cried, running to his horse, "We must find milord and Lissa immediately!"

Kazumi nodded. For second, she feared the knight was going to leave her to follow on foot, as he mounted his horse. Then he twisted around on his horse and held out a hand. Without needing further explanation, she took his hand and let him help her onto the horse.

She yelped and grabbed on tight around his waist as the horse took off on a gallop. She heard a strange noise and gazed up again. Something resembling a giant eye formed in the sky. It glowed, and surrounded by strange symbols. Things emerged from it, falling to the ground.

"Ah, what's going on?" Kazumi asked, tightening her grip.

"I truly wish I knew," Frederick responded, "By the gods, I have never seen such a thing!"

As they made their way through the forest, she spotted...things...in the forest. They had human-shapes, but glowing red eyes. She glimpsed many of them wielding weapons. Something smokey and vile lingered around them. She was grateful Frederick didn't slow down at the sight of the creatures.

They at last spotted Chrom and Lissa, looking out at a large group of the monsters. Frederick called out to them,

"Milord! Milday!"

"Chrom! Lissa!" Kazumi called out as well.

The other two turned at their voices. Frederick slowed down when he reached them. Kazumi slid off the horse, looking the two siblings up and down. They didn't seem hurt, thankfully. She looked at the mass of creatures, "Are those monsters? Do you have a lot of them around here?"

"They are not of Ylisse, I promise you that!" Chrom said.

Frederick sighed, relief on his face, "No one is injured then? Thank the gods..."

"Thank the masked man who saved me!" Lissa said, "If it weren't for him, I'd be..." She glanced at a spot near her. Her brow furrowed, "Hey, where did he go?"

"Masked man?" Kazumi asked.

"We can worry about him later," Frederick said, "AFTER we put these...things...to the blade. Eyes open, now. We know nothing about this enemy."

"Right," Chrom agreed, "Kazumi?"

She nodded, "On it!" She pulled her tome from her cloak. She looked out at the monsters. She tried to think of what they needed to do. Nothing came. It wasn't coming to her as it did during her last battle. Last time, the strategy had flowed from her. This time, it felt like she was trying to dig it out. Strange. From the last time, she would have thought tactics were more natural to her.

Then, it started coming to her again. The strange focus, allowing her to see the battlefield as a tactician. She embraced the knowledge, and let the words come,

"Frederick, you have the point, get any of these things that you can see! Lissa, go with him and heal when necessary. Chrom, you're with me. We're going to clean up after Frederick."

"Understood!"

They paired off as ordered, and charged the monsters. Frederick and Lissa got ahead of them, but Frederick would be able to take care of himself, with Lissa's support. The key thing was the hope that her and Chrom's tag team would be as effective against these monsters as they were against the brigands.

A few minutes later, and her answer was, yes, it was. Kinda. The monsters had strength like that of actual soldiers. They had little strategic sense, however, preferring to rush at them. She used this to their advantage. Many a creature fell to Chrom's sword in their charge. The ones who had the sense to linger back were sniped by Kazumi's magic.

The main problem was the issue of numbers.

How many of those things had come out of that...portal, earlier? As she zapped another one, she tried to asses how many were left. There couldn't be that many, could there?

"Watch out!" She was shoved out of the way, in time for Chrom to parry a creature's axe. She stumbled, but regained her bearing enough to prepare a spell. As she aimed, she glimpsed a whole pack of the monsters coming right for them. That wasn't good.

A guttural sound made her whirl around, and she hit the monster coming up on her with lightning. Another one accompanied it, and it raised it's axe. She whipped her sword out, the weapons clanging as she blocked the incoming blow. She shoved the creature back a step, before driving her sword right through it. It vanished in a puff of smoke.

She turned to check on Chrom, to find him now a fair distance away from her. And surrounded by the pack she had seen earlier. Her stomach became lead. They must have drifted apart in the chaos. She sheathed her sword, pulled out her tome, and ran to him. Something slammed her hard, and she fell to the ground. A large object was on the ground next to her, some kind of worn-out throwing axe. A monster emerged from the nearby trees. It approached her, weapon raised for the kill. She fumbled with her tome, and magic crackled. The creature fell.

She tried to get up, to help Chrom. She still hadn't recovered from the blow earlier, and it made it difficult to stand. More of the monsters were coming her way, and her eyes widened when she saw Chrom knocked against a tree.

Kazumi watched, helpless, as the creatures advanced on Chrom. He tried to stand back up, but he wasn't being fast enough. He wouldn't recover in time. No, no, no! She had to do something! Anything! He couldn't die here! They couldn't die here!

As she clenched her eyes in frustration, a tiny ringing caught her ears. She lifted her hand up, touching the bell earrings she wore. Something flashed in her mind, another almost-memory. Earrings...the bells...ring the bell!

Desperate, she braced herself and, acting on some instinct, she flicked the left earring.

It's chimes rang through her. Something seized her, filling her with great power, and she became enveloped in light. She changed, a newfound strength imbibing her.

The light faded and the rush stopped. Her tactician's cloak was gone, replaced by something new. A somewhat skimpy black and white outfit, with poofy, detached sleeves, a skirt, boots, and a large, black pointed hat. A black cloak flowed behind her. In addition, she now wielded a large staff with a cross at the end. Her whole body thrummed with powerful energy.

"Kazumi...?" Chrom's voice snapped her out of her brief reprieve.

She examined herself, confused, "What's this?" She was struck by how the outfit looked and giggled, "Oh, this is so cute!"

A loud roar reminded her they were still in the middle of a battle. "Oh, crap! Um..." She looked at the staff. She assumed this was her weapon, but how did she use it? Then something flashed through her mind. Another instinct. She knew how to use this, as well as, if not even better, than her tomes.

Without another word, she brought the staff around and focused power through it. A blast of energy shot from it, slamming the monsters that had dared get so close to her new friend. The monsters faded in a puff of smoke.

She smiled to herself, withdrawing the staff, realization coming over her as Chrom approached her.

"Kazumi...what...I had no idea..."

"I had idea either!" She chirped, full of energy, "But I think it's magic! A different kind of magic."

Another roar informed her more monsters were coming their way. The strange focus set in again, and she welcomed it.

"Chrom, keep moving! This battle isn't over yet! I'll back you up!" At his unspoken concern, she added, "Don't worry, I know how to use this power. I don't know how, but I do!"

Chrom nodded in understanding, and he charged into the monsters. Kazumi picked a couple nearby. A blast of magic later, and the creatures vanished in a puff of smoke. This was...natural, wonderful!

When a few of the monster got close, her abilities surprised her yet again, as the end of her staff shifted into a sharp edge. She sliced through the creature with it, the motion much easier than with her sword. Short-range, long-range, and magical...she didn't know what these power were, but she was glad for them. She could use them to help.

"Captain Chrom!" A new voice drew Kazumi's attention to near the edge of the battlefield. A redhead, female cavalier had rode up. Who was that? "Wait! I'm coming!" She gazed around the battlefield, her face twisting in frustration "Argh, I knew I shouldn'ta left em!"

"Who's that?" Kazumi asked Chrom, as he watched the cavalier. The newcomer knew Chrom. Was she a Shepherd as well?

"That's Sully, one of our cavaliers," He explained, "She's a friend, and will be able to help."

"I get it, I'll go talk with her and tell her what's going on!" Kazumi broke from Chrom, making her way to the redheaded caliver.

"All right you ash-faced freaks!" Sully yelled from her spot, "Which one of ya wants to try my lance on for size first? I know just the spot for it! Shoved right up your-"

"Hold, milady!"

"Hah?" Kazumi blinked as a rather noble-looking man came up running behind Sully. Another Shepherd? Sully raised an eyebrow at the new arrival. Something told Kazumi that the man was not with the Shepherds at all.

The man caught up to Sully and gave her a charming smile, "Life may be long, but attraction is fleeting!" He declared, "Would you leave me in your sweet dust? Leave war to the warriors, dear bird! A beauty such as you need wage only love."

Sully stared for a few moments at the man before sputtering, "The hell are you!?"

The man smirked, "Ha! Is the lady intrigued?" He smiled, but it seemed more to himself, "Of course you are—it's only natural," he stuck out his chest, "I am myth and legend! I am he who strides large across history's greatest stage! The man who puts the 'arch' in 'archer'! My name, dear lady, is Vi—"

"Sorry Ruffles," She cut the man off, unwilling to listen further. Kazumi didn't blame her. Talk about long-winded! "No time for this. Onward!" Sully's horse began to trot off.

"Virion!" The man cried after her, trying to keep up with her horse's pace, "Er, my name, it's Virion." Sully's pace got faster, and Virion struggled to keep up, "W-wait! Where are you going? Pray, at least tell me your name!"

Sully eyed Virion, her face betraying her thinning patience, "I'm Sully, I'm a Shepherd..."

Virion shut his eyes in bliss, "'Sully!' How divine! A starkly beautiful name, as befits its owner, truly," he opened his eyes to gaze at the woman, "Will you marry me, my dearest Sully?"

Disbelief flitted across her face, "Will I what now?" She demanded, before she became oddly calm, "Oh wait, I get it...This is a joke. And when I put my boot through your face—that's the punchline."

"I realize my manly figure and noble bearing can be overwhelming," He said. This wasn't going to turn out well. "'Tis common! So please, don't feel pressured to answer right a—"

What was left of Sully's patience snapped, "How's THIS for an answer?!" Kazumi winced, as Sully, from her position on her horse, kicked him hard in the stomach. Kazumi reached the pair as Virion tried to recover from being winded.

"Um," Kazumi glanced over at man, "Do you...?"

"Know him?" Sully finished for her, "Hell no. He came out of nowhere. He's not with me, you can be damn sure of that!" The redhead flickered her gaze up and down Kazumi's form, "And, er...who are you? And what's with the getup? You another weirdo?"

"No!" Kazumi said, before frowning, "At least, I don't think I am..." She shook her head, "But that's not what's important right now!" She placed a hand on her chest, "I'm Kazumi, I'm the new tactician for the Shepherds. You're Sully, right?"

Sully chuckled, "Damn straight! New recruit, huh? You don't seem like much of a fighter...but I guess you can't judge a book by its cover. Even one dressed like that."

"I don't know where the outfit came from!" Kazumi insisted, "I do like it though, and it let's me do all kinds of things!"

Sully raised an eyebrow, "Oh, yeah? Like what?"

Growls informed Kazumi that the monsters had caught up to her. She flashed Sully a smile, "Like this!" The end of Kazumi's staff sharped, and magical power crackled around it. She charged forward into the group. In less than a minute, the monsters were reduced to smoke. She looked over her shoulder at Sully, who watched with wide eyes.

"Damn..." Sully said, "Well, you've got no complaints from me. Glad you're on our side. Tell me what I need to do!"

"Chrom's that way," Kazumi pointed, "Go, and help him! I'm, er, going to check on Virion."

"Got it!" Sully brought her horse into a trot, "And good luck with Ruffles!" She galloped away to find Chrom. With Sully covering Chrom, Kazumi relaxed a little. She went over to Virion, who had recovered and gazed, forlorn, where Sully had left.

"Ah, easy come, easy go..." he sighed, "I do hope I'll be able to see her again..."

"Um..."

Virion perked up at Kazumi's voice, and he smiled, "Ah, good day, young lady. Might I ask your business?"

"I was actually here to ask if you planned on helping," She pointed to the battle, "We could use it. I'm Kazumi, the tactician for this army. You're Virion, an archer, right?"

Virion stuck out his chest, "The archest of archers, in fact! As such, I need to be kept a step away from danger. Please keep that in mind," he glanced over at the battle, a mixture of fear and wariness crossing his face, "An archer such as myself does not want to be on the receiving end of a sword."

That didn't answer her question. "So, you'll help us?" She asked.

"You are with Lady Sully, correct?" She nodded in confirmation. His eyes sparkled, "For a beautiful lady such as her, of course I shall assist!"

Kazumi nodded, something in her mind already working out how to use this newcomer, "That's what I needed to hear. I won't let you get hurt, don't worry!" She gazed over the battlefield. She pointed, "Take up a position in that fort. Pick off any stragglers from the main group. I'm going back in there!"

He nodded, "As you wish, milady, I will follow your instructions!"

Once Virion had gone to follow her instructions, Kazumi dove back into the battle. There were fewer of the monsters now, thinned out by the combined efforts of all involved. She ripped through a few of them with her magic. She heard a loud roar and turned.

Oh, that one...looked stronger than the others. The leader? If these thing could have a leader. It wielded a large axe, and hissed upon seeing her, charging forward. She threw up her staff. The axe clanged against it, and the monster hissed. Kazumi shoved it away.

She would let the others clean up while she took care of this one. She yelped and dove out of the way when the axe came flying towards her. It embedded itself in the ground. The creature came over and tugged it out while she picked herself up. It came charging toward her again. She sharpened her staff, and parried the incoming blow. She kept parrying, and blocking, until she spotted an opening. She thrust her staff forward, driving it through the creature's side. It hissed, and stepped back. Seeing her chance, she charged her magic. She aimed her staff. The large beam of energy engulfed the monster, obliterating it.

She exhaled. Around her, the last of the monsters were slain. Odd, she had thought there were more of them than this. She would worry about it later.

She willed herself to return to normal. The outfit vanished, and her cloak returned. She reached up to take off the earring she had rung earlier, the event that had triggered her transformation. She examined it, as if hoping it would reveal it's secrets just by her looking at it.

What had that been?

* * *

"I believe you owe us more of an explanation." Kazumi tried not to flinch under Frederick's harsh glare. Chrom and Lissa stood nearby, but their expressions were sympathetic. Sully had gone off to scout. Virion had followed her, and Kazumi worried he was going to get hurt again. She gulped before speaking,

"You have to believe me, I had no idea I could use magic like that either!" She exclaimed, reaching up to touch her earring.

Frederick's glare intensified, "You expect me to believe that? Just happening to have exceptional tactical knowledge is one thing, but something like this is quite another!" It probably wasn't a good idea to mention that she felt...odd when she used her tactical abilities. The knight thought low enough of her. "I have never seen such a thing. Just what was it?"

"I don't know! That's what I'm saying!"

"That's enough," Chrom stepped forward to her relief, giving Frederick a stern glare, "She doesn't know what happened anymore than we do. There's no use pushing it."

Frederick's glare didn't leave, but he didn't seem about to disobey Chrom. He stepped back from the girl, "That may be so, milord, but I must advise you of this now. No good will come from this one. Too many things about her do not sit right with me."

"I understand your feelings on the matter," Chrom said, "But I believe her when she says that she didn't know about this...power of hers. True, it leaves many questions, but they are questions we will have to find the answers to at another time."

Kazumi smiled at the young man, "Thank you Chrom. Really!"

Lissa came up, "But still, it was amazing to see," she said, "You really did a number on those monsters! I wonder what kind of magic it was?"

Kazumi touched her earring again, "I don't know. I don't know what it was, why I have it, or even what it's really for."

"You're a magical girl."

Kazumi whirled. A young man wearing a butterfly-shaped mask stood before them. He had short blue hair and wore regal clothing. A sword in it's scabbard hung at his side.

"Ah, you're the young man who took care of the rest of those creatures," Frederick said. Oh, that explained why there had been fewer of those monsters. The masked swordsman had destroyed some of them.

"Um," Lissa fidgeted, "I never got to thank you...for before. So...thank you. You were very brave."

"You saved my sister's life," Chrom nodded at the man, "My name is Chrom. Might I ask yours?"

The man paused before speaking, "You may call me Marth."

"Marth? After the hero king of old?" Chrom leaned forward a little as he observed the young man. Kazumi didn't completely get it. From the sound of it, 'Marth' was a legend or something. She reminded herself to ask about it later.

"Um," Kazumi began, earning Marth's attention, "What do you mean by 'magical girl?' What does that mean?"

"It means that you are someone of power," Marth replied, "Exceptional power, if this battle has shown anything. I'm surprised that you don't know."

"Er, should I?" She placed a hand on her chin, "I sort of have amnesia, so I don't really remember anything. This kind of came out of nowhere for me." What kind of person was she before she lost her memories, to have this power?

Marth seemed to be observing her, but it was impossible to deduce his expression because of the mask. After a moment, he muttered, "How curious..." before turned his attention to Chrom and the others.

"You certainly know a lot," Chrom said, "And you certainly fight like a hero. Where did you learn your way with a sword?"

"I'm not here to talk about me." Marth said, "This world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned." He then turned and walked away.

"Huh? What's teetering where now?" Lissa asked, her face scrunching up. She called after the man, "Hey, wait!"

Kazumi watched the man vanish into the forest. Her brow furrowed. Magical girl? What was that? Argh, why did she go after him!? It sounded like he knew more about her then she did! She touched her earring again. These earrings...what were they? The source of her magic? They did feel important.

"Marth..." Chrom whispered, looking at where the man had vanished.

"It appears his skills lie elsewhere," Frederick said, "I wager we'll hear his name again..." He started to walk back to where his horse waited, "But for now I'm more concerned about the capital. We should make haste."

Chrom nodded, "Yes, I agree. Frederick, go see if you can fetch Sully and, er, Virion. We must make for the capital immediately!"

* * *

FYI: I leave to go camping on Friday. Will not have internet or even laptop. Expect the next update to take at least a week.


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